November 1, 2024

Important notice about a health information privacy matter

Kaiser Permanente is posting this notice to inform its Southern California members and patients about a health information privacy matter that may have affected them. We have contacted affected individuals directly via email or U.S. Mail to notify them of the incident described below. If you did not receive an email notification or notification letter by mail and have questions about whether you were affected, you can contact Kaiser Permanente at the contact information provided at the end of this notice.

What happened?
On September 3, 2024, Kaiser Permanente discovered that an unauthorized party gained access to the Kaiser Permanente email accounts of two members of our workforce. Upon learning of the incident, we terminated the unauthorized access and immediately began an investigation to determine the scope of the access. After validating the email contents, we determined that some patients’ protected health information was involved.

We apologize that this incident occurred. We take the trust our patients place in us very seriously and work to ensure that trust is upheld in every interaction.

What information was involved?
The protected health information potentially accessed and/or viewed included first and last names, dates of birth, medical record numbers, and medical information. Sensitive information such as Social Security numbers and financial information were not involved.

What we have done:
We take the privacy of our patients very seriously. After discovering the event, we quickly took steps to terminate the unauthorized party’s access to the workforce members’ emails. This included resetting the workforce members’ email account password. Kaiser Permanente is taking appropriate steps to prevent this type of incident from recurring including, but not limited to, strengthening internal practices and controls.

What you can do:
Kaiser Permanente is not aware of any misuse of your information. Your Kaiser Permanente account credentials (username and password), Social Security number, financial account information, and credit card number were not involved in this incident. Regardless, it is always advisable to remain vigilant against attempts at identity theft or fraud, which includes reviewing online and financial accounts, credit reports, and Explanations of Benefits for suspicious activity. This is a best practice for all individuals.

There is no evidence that your information has been misused. If you are concerned about identity theft and would like more information on ways to protect yourself, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft website at https://www.identitytheft.gov.

For more information:
If you have any questions, concerns, or wish to file a complaint with us, please call 1-800-464-4000, or 711 (TTY), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, excluding holidays.